Boulder County's federal legislative agenda covers range of issues

BOULDER -- Boulder County commissioners' 2013-14 Federal Legislative Agenda details more than 65 county positions on issues that may get Congress' attention during the coming two years.

The agenda, which adds to and updates previous years' county positions, covers such categories as community and environmental health; community justice; economic opportunity; energy, the environment and sustainability; health care access; housing; human services; immigration and human rights; public lands and natural resources; taxes and government finance; and transportation. A few of the items on Boulder County's federal wish list:

Clean energy: Boulder County would support federal legislation and policies "to advance an aggressive clean energy agenda for the United States." Commissioners said the national agenda "should focus on greening the nation's energy supply, reducing energy consumption in buildings, and developing multi-modal transportation systems that utilize highly efficient vehicles and other strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve mobility for all."

Health care reform: Boulder County supports "full implementation" and funding of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, sometimes called Obamacare. Commissioners said they oppose any efforts to overturn health care reform or to divert the funding called for in that 2010 federal law.

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Immigration reform: Boulder County would support enacting "comprehensive immigration reform that addresses border security and enforcement while providing for a sensible, adequate visa system and pathways for legal residency and citizenship for undocumented immigrants in good standing."

Alternative transportation: Boulder County would support increased federal funding for a transportation system "that reduces reliance on fossil fuels by encouraging sustainable transportation programs and projects such as managed high-occupancy vehicle and transit lanes, transit service and programs, transportation-demand management," as well as bikeways, walkways and other projects that would give people alternatives to driving.

Internet sales taxes: Boulder County would support congressional action to allow state and local governments to collect taxes on items sold over the Internet.

Services for the aging: Boulder County would support at least a 12 percent increase in federal funding for the Older Americans Act, which county officials said could provide an important source of support for local and regional services for older Coloradans and their families -- services such as information and assistance, home-delivered and congregate meals, transportation, in-home services, caregiver support, long-term care ombudsmen, and legal assistance. The county said reauthorization of the federal law, and increasing its funding, are needed "to keep pace with both the projected growth in America's aging population and the increased cost of delivering these critical services."

Recreational marijuana: Boulder County is urging the federal government "to respect the authority of the state of Colorado and Colorado's local governments to appropriately regulate activities related to the recreational use of marijuana." The legislative agenda calls on federal officials to "respect the will of Colorado's voters" who approved Amendment 64, the measure permitting people age 21 and older to possess and use small quantities of marijuana. The county opposes enforcing federal laws prohibiting such marijuana use and possession.

Farm bill: Boulder County would support long-term reauthorization of the federal Farm Bill and making sure that measure fully funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for the needy, a program more commonly known as food stamps. The county also would support streamlining the SNAP program's eligibility requirements, increasing outreach efforts to enroll more people in the program, and extending SNAP clients' access to buying that food from local farmers' markets.

Genetically engineered organisms: Boulder County would support a federal law to require the mandatory labeling of any food or food products derived from or containing genetically engineered or genetically modified oganisms. Commissioners said in their legislative agenda that while there's widespread agriculture and food-industry acceptance of such GEO and GMO food crops, "consumers have the right to know what is in their food in order to make informed choices about whether or not to purchase GE food."

Forest restoration and wildfire mitigation: Boulder County is calling for increased federal funding for wildfire mitigation and forest restoration projects in the wildland urban interface regions between public lands and populated areas. Funding should be shifted to reduce the risk and severity of wildfires, county officials said, particularly in areas where the costs of fighting fires and the risk to human health and the environment are highest.

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